Why home educate?

As each year passes, an increasing number of parents of children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism are either considering or commencing home education because mainstream schools are failing to meet the needs of their children. Reasons are diverse and range from the rigidity of the National Curriculum; to the teaching styles used; to bullying and victimisation; to a lack of support and appreciation for a child's interests and talents; to a failure of teachers and education officials to understand a child's behavioural traits - just to name a few of them.

These parents believe that their precious time and effort will be put to much better use by educating their children outside of the school system rather than battling with the education system to provide services for their children. Some home educating parents even hold the stance that the mainstream education system cannot be reformed from within to meet the needs of most children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and any attempts to seriously change the system will be futile.

The common factor uniting these parents is that they all want their children to experience a high quality education that is both enjoyable and provides them with the confidence and the skills for a happy and successful life as an adult.

Home education has many advantages over attending mainstream school, including:

• Children are free from the traumas of bullying, victimisation, and playground politics.
• They are able to choose the people they associate with. This enables them to associate with people who respect them and their interests. If they attended school then they would be forced to associate with people who do not respect them or their interests.
• Children are allowed to be themselves and follow their own interests and lifestyle as they are not subject to peer pressure or the need to conform to whatever the prevailing pack culture is.
• The ability to learn social skills that are useful in adult life rather than those associated with youth subculture, most of which are of little use once one finishes school.
• The opportunity to study subjects that interest them or those they feel will be useful in a future career and adult life that are not taught in schools.
• The facility to study subjects at their own pace rather than at the pace set by the National Curriculum.
• Home educated children are able to learn about real world issues; use real world tools and equipment; and meet people who work in the real world, because they are living in the real world rather than the artificial confines of the school classroom.

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